No Man Is An Island
by Jennifer Hart
Summary: The team literally runs into trouble enroute to a case.


**Title: No Man Is An Island****  
****Genre: Hurt/Comfort and Suspense**

**Rating: T****  
****Disclaimer: I don't own them, I don't share Tony's opinion in the first scene, and no offense is intended by his comments.****  
****Summary: The team literally runs into trouble enroute to a case. **

"You ever see weather like this?"

Ziva shook her head. "Mossad doesn't work ops in Antarctica." She and McGee exchanged grins, before turning again to watch the blizzard out the window.

"I nearly ended up in the ditch on the way into town." McGee sighed. "Looks like I'll be bunking at Abby's tonight."

"Think she'd mind a threesome?" The elevator dinged just then and they both turned. Tony came stalking towards them, his hair covered in snow. Ziva put up a hand to cover a giggle. "You look like the Abdominal Snowman."

"Abominable, Ziva," McGee corrected. Ziva made a face.

"Whatever. Actually, I take that back." She studied Tony's face. "You look like one of his victims."

Tony smiled wryly. "Cute. Couldn't sleep last night, so I sat up till four watching a Sean Connery marathon on MovieMax."

McGee raised his eyebrows. "That sounds like fun."

"It was – until the last one. Either of you ever see _The Presidio_?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Do yourself a favor. Don't. Slowest movie ever made. Didn't think Connery had it in him. Oh, and you should have seen the guy in it with him..."

"Grab your gear!" They all jumped as Gibbs strode rapidly into the bullpen. "Naval Officer found stabbed to death in a Gaithersburg gym."

"We're going out in this?" McGee asked in disbelief. Gibbs stared at him.

"A seventeen-year-old member of the Olympic team did," he said very quietly. "Found the body when she came in for her workout this morning. You want to be the one to call her and tell her we're going to wait until the weather clears?"

"Uh, no, Boss," McGee stammered, before scuttling towards his desk. Gibbs nodded. "I thought not."

0

"Anybody see Ducky?" Tony asked, leaning closer to the steering wheel.

Ziva nodded towards a set of headlights that could just be seen through the snow ahead of them on the highway. "That could be him."

Tony shook his head. "Too high up. The M.E.'s vehicle is lower to the ground."

"Speaking of low to the ground," McGee called. "We just passed another car in the ditch."

"Was Ziva driving?" Tony muttered, before slamming his palm against the steering wheel. "Crap, I can't see."

"Slow down," Gibbs cautioned. "No need to go off the road."

"I'm already going half the speed limit. Any slower and we're going to...Whoa. WHOA!"

0

The first voice Ziva heard that wasn't a scream was McGee's as he pounded against the window behind her. "Are you guys okay?"

"I think so, Probie!" Tony yelled back. He looked over. "Ziva?"

She nodded shakily. "Fine. Gibbs?" There was no response and she sharply turned to her other side. "Gibbs!" The other agent slumped silently against the passenger side window, his eyes closed.

"Oh, no." Tony made a move to climb over and have a better look, but stopped with a cry of pain.

"What is it?" Ziva asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm stuck and getting way too intimate with a tree limb, that's what's wrong," Tony said tightly. He nodded towards their supervisor. "How bad?"

Ziva pressed two fingers to Gibbs' neck, then withdrew them after a moment and moved her hand to his chest. "He's breathing, and he's got a pulse," she answered. "But there's blood running down the side of his face."

A banging on the side window caught their attention and they looked up. McGee gestured frantically towards the lock.

"Got it." Ziva leaned across Gibbs and flipped it, then wrapped an arm securely around Gibbs' chest, holding him in place as McGee opened the door. He stirred slightly at the touch.

"Did I miss the first date?" he murmured. Ziva chuckled with relief.

"Come on, it's the fourth night of our honeymoon," she quipped. "Just try not to move. McGee."

"Got him." McGee moved in next to Gibbs's shoulder as Ziva slowly sat up.

"Where all does it hurt?" Ziva asked, running her hands rapidly over Gibbs' body as she spoke.

"Head," he murmured absently, as his eyes quickly roamed around him. "Tony?" he asked sharply, sitting forward. A second later he slumped against Ziva, his eyes closing again.

"Gibbs? Hey, Gibbs!" Ziva gave his shoulder a shake before muttering an expletive in Hebrew. "Come on, Gibbs, stay with me." She gently pushed him back against the seat.

"McGee, having that door open isn't helping. Help her get him in the back," Tony ordered.

Ziva ran her hands quickly down Gibbs' legs, then nodded. "He's all right." She put one arm under Gibbs' knees and the other around Gibbs' back as McGee stared at her blankly.

"How..."

"Chair carry. Interlock one arm with Ziva's under his knees, the other behind his back." Tony's voice was remarkably calm. "Come on, Probie, you used it twice in Deep Six."

"Get the back door first!" Ziva instructed. When he came back a second later she nodded. "Okay, on three. One, two...three!"

The snow on Gibbs' face seemed to revive him somewhat and he brought his head up, wincing slightly at the movement. "What..."

"It's okay, Gibbs, we're just moving you to the back of the truck," Ziva said reassuringly.

"Tony?" Gibbs asked again.

"He's okay," McGee said quickly.

"Looks like you came out the worst on this one," Ziva said, offering a smile.

Gibbs nodded with relief. "Good."

They reached the back of the vehicle and Ziva helped McGee lean Gibbs on the bumper, then climbed inside to grab Gibbs from behind and pull him in. He cried out in pain.

"What is it?" Ziva asked, stopping immediately.

"Side," Gibbs gasped out. Ziva held him steady and nodded to McGee, who quickly climbed in alongside and placed a gentle hand on the right side of his boss' chest.

"Here?" Gibbs nodded without speaking. McGee gently touched the area as Gibbs bit back a moan. Ziva gently rubbed his arm. After a moment, McGee looked up at her. "No blood. Probably his ribs."

Ziva nodded, then shifted so that Gibbs was leaning against her knee and could see her face. "This is going to hurt, but we need to get you the rest of the way in," she said quietly. Gibbs nodded mutely and gritted his teeth. Ziva looked over at McGee. "On three."

Gibbs moaned again as they finished pulling him into the truck and eased him onto the floor. Ziva squeezed his shoulder and he looked up at her, his eyes hazy. "Just hang on," she told him, before looking up at the window. "Tony, tell me you called 911!"

"I tried. No service," he called back.

"Oh, for crying out..." Ziva broke off and looked over at McGee. "What about you? How bad are you hurt?"

"Sore, but I'll live. You?"

She nodded. "The same. Go back and check Tony."

"I'm fine, Probie, stay with Ziva!"

"I'd rather make sure of that, Tony!" Ziva retorted. Gibbs started to try and get up and Ziva put a hand on his chest. "Go," she ordered.

McGee nodded and crawled to the end of the truck, then opened the door as Ziva turned her attention back to Gibbs. His eyes had closed again.

"Gibbs?" She touched his face gently and his eyelids fluttered open. She smiled. "I need you to stay with me. Okay?" He nodded, then closed his eyes again as another wave of dizziness hit. Ziva put a hand on his shoulder. "Gibbs. Gibbs, can you hear me?"

"Ziva, you need to keep him awake." Tony's voice came through the door again and she sighed.

"I know, Tony, but right now that's easier said than done."

"Do what the EMTs do," McGee called. "Ask him..." His voice trailed off. "Oh, boy."

"What is it?" Ziva asked.

McGee didn't answer, just turned his attention to Tony. "Tony, I thought you said you were fine."

There was a chuckle. "What can I say, Probie? I didn't see that one."

"Yeah, well you should have felt it."

Tony groaned. "Yeah, well, if it's any consolation I'm feeling it now."

"McGee!" Ziva sounded mad. "What's going on up there?"

"Tony's bleeding right below his shoulder. Bad," McGee answered.

"It's not bad, McGee," Tony said quickly. "It's probably just from glass or something."

"Tony, you haven't seen the size of the bloodstain on your jacket," McGee shot back.

"Oh, terrific," Ziva muttered, before looking back at Gibbs. "Gibbs? Gibbs, can you hear me?" There was no response and she gently shook his shoulder. "Come on, Gibbs. Gibbs!" She hesitated, then ran a hand lightly over his forehead. "Gibbs?"

There was still no response and Ziva sat back on her heels. "Okay, then. Well, if you can hear me, I'm going to see if there are any other injuries I missed besides your ribs." She started running her hands rapidly over his limbs and torso again, keeping up a running commentary while she did so. "Well, I'm not seeing any other bleeding and I'm not feeling anything out of place. Although, I'm sure your right side is pretty bruised up." She moved to undo the zipper on his jacket. "It's probably a good thing you're unconscious right now, because I'm going to have a closer look at your ribs and that isn't going to feel very good."

She pulled up the polo shirt and gently prodded the area with her fingers. After a moment he stiffened in pain and she quickly put a hand on his arm. "Gibbs?"

His eyes fluttered open. "Yeah?"

She smiled. "I need you to try and stay awake," she told him. He simply looked at her in confusion. "What day is it?"

"Tuesday."

"What's the date?"

"January eighth."

"What year?"

He forced a smile. "Ziva, I hit my head. I'm not braindead."

She chuckled. "Stupid choice of question. Uh...what did you do last night?"

He blinked thoughtfully. "Worked on the boat."

She sighed. "Another stupid question. Okay..., uh...what..."

"What's your favorite movie, Boss?" Tony's voice came through the door. Gibbs looked in that direction for a second, then frowned. His eyes started to close.

"What's your favorite movie?" Ziva repeated, raising her voice. Gibbs opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"_The Presidio_."

There was a choking noise from the front seat.

0

"What was your favorite subject in school?"

"Shop." Gibbs' voice sounded weaker. "Shop and...science."

Ziva wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she was pretty sure it hadn't been quite an hour. She had managed to keep Gibbs conscious, with Tony and McGee pitching in questions every time her mind drew a blank, but the time it took him to answer was getting longer and she had to ask most of the questions twice.

"What was your least favorite?" His eyes closed again and she gently shook his shoulder. "Gibbs. What was your least favorite subject in school? Gibbs! Gibbs, can you hear me?"

She leaned over his face, confirming he was still breathing, then looked up at the window. "He's out again. Tony, does the phone have service yet?"

"No." He sounded frustrated. "And everyone else is being smart and staying off the road, so there aren't any cars."

"You took a shortcut, remember? We're going to be lucky if anyone comes by the rest of the day!" Ziva's voice came out as a raised snap and she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's a sign of..." Tony and McGee broke off as something banged against the door. "Ducky!"

"Ziva, Ducky's here, and Palmer!" Tony yelled. Ziva sank against the wall with relief. Behind her she could hear McGee's voice faintly, saying something about Tony being pinned. Then the back door opened and Palmer was crawling in beside her. Ziva smiled at him before looking down and gently squeezing Gibbs' shoulder.

"Gibbs, help is here." She gently smoothed his hair back. "Everything's going to be okay."

0

"How are you doing?"

Ziva looked up as McGee put a hand on her shoulder. She offered a smile. "Tired."

"You and me both." He nodded in the direction of the room behind him. "Gibbs fell asleep again."

"At least he woke up first." The doctors had diagnosed their boss with cracked ribs, a moderate concussion, and a severely bruised shoulder, but had assured them he would only need to remain in hospital one night. Contrary to Ziva's assurance, Gibbs had not gotten the worst of the injuries in the accident. The leg Tony had thought was only pinned was actually broken – both above the knee and at the ankle. He was now resting quietly in the same room as Gibbs, his left arm secured in a sling.

McGee and Ziva hadn't come away as lightly as they thought they had either. Both had sustained mild whiplash from the impact and Ziva's wrist now boasted a tensor bandage for tendon damage. The doctors had tried to persuade them to stay overnight as well, but they'd firmly declined.

"Ducky's waiting downstairs. He said we could stay at his place tonight," Ziva said quietly. McGee grinned.

"Good. I don't think I'm up to sleeping in a coffin tonight." He helped her to her feet and she groaned.

"Ow."

McGee nodded in agreement. "Ow." They started down the hall."

"Hey, McGee?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Ducky would be willing to stop and rent a movie?"

McGee raised his eyebrows. "The snow finally quit, so probably. Why? What do you have in mind?"

"_The Presidio_."

THE END

**A/N: This story was written for a ficathon prompt: Gibbs tells the team about his favorite movie.****  
**


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